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Sizzlin’ SoBe

Paul Rubio | Photo: Courtesy Images | May 28, 2013

America’s sexiest beachfront gets even hotter this summer.

Shore Club

Lord Balfour

STAYLord Balfour
After a multimillion-dollar face-lift, the 64-room British-inspired boutique hotel Lord Balfour reveals a new inner and outer self. The joint pays homage to the notoriously vain former prime minister (don’t worry, we’ve never heard of him either)—but the resulting design details (prolific vanity mirrors, tufted headboards) and thematic touches, like English tea-infused cocktails and full English breakfast, are pretty awesome. Rooms from $199, lordbalfourmiami.com, @lordbalfour

The James Royal Palm
The latest chapter in reinvented Art Deco springs to life at The James Royal Palm, where 1939 meets 2013. Vintage summertime inspiration abounds among explosions of terrazzo, avocado greens and coolio accessories—like foosball tables and Hula-Hoops adjacent to high-end art exhibits. The beachfront hotel oozes personality and is packed with some of SoBe’s hottest restaurants and lounges, including Catch Miami and the South Shore rum bar. Rooms from $269, jameshotels.com/miami, @jameshotels

PARTYShore Club
2009’s hottest weekly pool party, Shore Thing, returns after a four-year hiatus—and the Sunday debauchery is better than ever. From 1pm to sundown, the Shore Club’s iconic pool overflows with potential summer flings, while the sounds of top Miami DJs (like our fave DJ Irie) fill the air. Early rising gal-pals can start with the Ladies Who Brunch special (unlimited libations for $37) beginning at 11am at the Shore Club’s alfresco resto, Terrazza. shoreclub.com, @shoreclubsobe

Regent Cocktail Club
A hip nightlife hot spot at the revamped Gale Hotel, the seductive Regent Cocktail Club flaunts a gentleman’s club vibe (the classic kind) and speakeasy flair: think bartenders dressed to the nines, Ella Fitzgerald music and Lana Del Rey-kinda chicks. The club takes their cocktails seriously—there are even different shaped and sized handcrafted ice cubes for each one. galehotel.com/nightlife, @theregentcc

Radio Bar
Let us all rejoice! The beach’s most popular pop-up bar is here to stay. Anchored by a 600-foot radio tower, thrift-shop chic Radio Bar draws a diverse crowd of suit-and-tie guys and Havaiana-clad hotties. The signature punch bowls (serving eight under normal circumstances, but three in our case!) are mind-blowing creations by master mixologist and James Beard nominee Craig Schoettler. radiosouthbeach.com, @radiosobe

Rec Room
Trending now in South Beach: an epic revival of the ’70s basement party (minus the afros and bell bottoms). Best in show: Rec Room underneath the Gale Hotel, a tricked-out space that honors all decor disco era, including 3,000 vinyl records and a young, easy-on-the-eyes crowd partying like its 1999. galehotel.com/nightlife, @galesobe

EAT & SIPJuviaOnly in South Beach could a 12-story parking garage bear a designer name (Herzog & de Meuron) and attract the talent of three award-winning chefs and droves of the world’s most beautiful people to its glimmering rooftop. This design-savvy resto-gone-rogue crowns Miami’s 1111 parking garage, towering over the beach as an unapologetic glitterati playground with stunning ensembles of glass and steel, vertical gardens and plenty of space to stand and pose. juviamiami.com, @juviamiami

Tongue & Cheek
It’s all about the avant-garde at this new neighborhood-style eatery in South Beach’s emerging SoFi district. Beach body, what? The salted-pretzel ice cream and the Cracker Jack milkshake (with housemade Baby Ruths) are worth every calorie. On a liquid diet? Down a few Bourbon for Apples (Buffalo Trace, fresh green apple liqueur and thyme) or a couple Cucumfortably Numbs (Tito’s Handmade Vodka, cucumber and dill). Happy-hour specials occur nightly from 5 to 7pm, even on weekends. We’ll toast to that! tandcmiami.com, @tandcmiami
Catch Miami
There’s so much more than amazing food at the new SoBe eatery by season three Top Chef winner Hung Huynh. Catch Miami transports the complete New York vibe of his Asian-inspired Hell’s Kitchen eatery to the Art Deco district. Expect a boisterous, trendy resto-bar with a sexy waitstaff, artisanal cocktails and local A-listers everywhere. jameshotels.com/miami, @catch_miami